On their knees
by Lucicelo
Summary: Asking for forgiveness doesn't fix the malicious intent behind the action but it's a start.


"We have to apologize to Sakamoto!" Atsushi declared during their usual lunch period.

They sat outside in their usual corner. Pre-made meals on their laps and boxed juice in their hands. Out of view from wandering students coming out for their intake of fresh air. Most of their classmates stayed in their classroom or went inside of the cafeteria. Their little nook around the school gave them the privacy to conduct conversations without someone ease dropping. Either way, the goody goody students stayed far away from the corners and private areas.

Kenken and Mario gulped down their food. Glancing at their flustered friend, they pondered on this sudden action. Before this whole Sakamoto business, their unapologetic attitude extended toward people they targeted without remorse. All of a sudden, Atsushi stopped any more plans to humiliate Sakamoto. He insisted on leaving him alone. From the impression of taking the blame, their opinion of the posh Sakamoto changed. Atsushi's interest dove into territory none of them expected.

Their Acchan developed a crush.

Blushing cheeks and a wallpaper of the person included.

No disgust entered their minds of the gender and the person in question. Atsushi hid his feelings. Bad attempts. Coming from an open guy, concealing his feelings failed in the end. All this hiding shit showed Atsushi's distrust in them. Not that they blamed him. Their tough exterior gave the idea that they excluded anyone different from the norm. A hypocritical standpoint when they fought against the norm through smoking and ditching classes. No honor students in their group.

Still, Atsushi acted relatively the same. Nothing changed about him through his sudden realization. He didn't stumble whenever he crossed Sakamoto's path. In certain instances, his affection showed in his tone. His overall aura went into the opposite direction from his old image.

Atsushi switched from cigarettes to blowing bubbles.

No tough guy blew bubbles and appeared intimidating. Then again, the action of blowing bubbles was a lot of fun.

"This doesn't have anything to do with you liking Sakamoto. Right?" Mario shuffled his trash inside of a plastic bag and set it beside him. He turned away in an attempt to hide his grin.

Atsushi snapped, his face warmed up into a bright red hue. "No! It seems like the right thing to do. We were assholes. Point blank period!"

Kenken snorted as he poked a hole in his juice box, he sipped before he continued. "You have his photo in your phone as a _wallpaper_. Don't think I didn't see it when you answered a call from your mother."

"So what? Are you guys going to make fun of me for it?" Atsushi demanded, he readied himself for jeers coming from his friends. They never discussed the possibility of any of them liking guys but he tried not to think the worst.

"Hell no." They gave him a simultaneous reply.

Atsushi froze. "Y-You're not?"

"We don't care about your sudden crush on Sakamoto. You never showed interest in anyone where you kept a photo of them. I've never had a crushes photo in my phone." Mario ripped open another bread wrapper and munched on it. "This is interesting."

"Yeah! We'll support you one hundred percent!" Kenken smirked. "Please, tell us all about what you find attractive about Sakamoto. We want all the details. Let's switch stories. I'll tell you about my current girl and her amazing legs."

"No! I ain't telling you two shit. Are we going to apologize to him together or not?"

* * *

Atsushi chugged down two coffee cans. He finished one before he started on the other one. Afterwards, he still let out a yawn and cursed his sleepiness. His friends fared no better. He saw them nodding off as they stood in the bathroom. Splashing cold water in their faces, they drank their own cans of coffee. They collected the cans in a bag in order to place them in the proper containers on their floor.

They woke up early to place a bouquet of roses on Sakamoto's desk. A pricey apology gift but Kenken brought up the idea during their brainstorming session. He got good results from girls who forgave him whenever he messed up. From the lack of cash, it happened far too often than Kenken admitted to them.

The florist gave him a note that he wrote himself. Nothing said sorry like writing it yourself. He attached it in between the stems. He hoped the white and red roses presented his plea for forgiveness. The young lady explained everything about the language of flowers. He nodded along, understand little but the meaning behind the flower in question.

Once the late bell rang, they broke into a slight run to their classroom. Before they entered inside, they threw away their trash in the right areas. Atsushi slowed down, nervousness coursed through him. Thoughts of Sakamoto's reaction to this gift made his hands sweaty. He rubbed them against his slacks. His friends muttered quips to him. Snickering right behind him. He ignored them.

Kenken drawled. "Here's hoping he accepts them, those flowers cost way too much. I never told you to buy roses Acchan. You should have gotten the cheaper ones."

"Shut it." Atsushi glared at him as he stood in front of the door. He heard the voices of their classmates and nerves bubbled in the pit of hi stomach. "The florist told me the combination meant saying sorry. I'm not really sure. I tuned her out after she started describing the other flowers she had in stock."

Mario shook his head, "I'm sure Sakamoto knows what it means. The guy is real smart and knows all sorts of odd trivia."

"Yeah..." Atsushi gulped as he reached out his hand to open the door.

Atsushi slid the door aside, expecting to see the bouquet in the middle of Sakamoto's desk. He saw the roses scattered throughout the room. Rows of reds and whites stood out against the wooden desks. His classmates chatted within their groups, excitement lacing their tones. No frowns showed on the quieter students. Some even seemed flattered from the gift they received.

Aina smiled in glee. "Sakamoto-kun is so kind!" She twirled the rose in between her fingers, the other girls agreed with her. No form of jealousy surfaced between them. The happiness of receiving a gift from Sakamoto bonded them closer. "To think, he brought all those roses for everyone in the class. Boys and girls!" She noticed the trio standing at the door and motioned their desks. "You have roses too!"

Atsushi slumped his shoulders. He groaned. Loud enough that his friends heard him. All his money for the week was wasted. His parents wouldn't give him any more money for entertainment because of this stunt. Meaning, he had nothing to pay for food or lunch.

Kenken and Mario patted Atsushi's back and observed the room. All their classmates held a rose in their hands or rested them on top of their materials. Sakamoto sat at his desk, reading a novel with his own rose at his desk. It rested inside of a small vase and decorated with a small ribbon.

* * *

Atsushi munched on the burger Mario bought him. He hated owing his friends money but Mario assured him about treating him. Sometimes, one of them forgot their wallet and thought nothing of footing the bill. Still, his pride gnawed at him for accepting.

The disappointment of the bouquet stayed on his thoughts. He didn't understand what went wrong with his plans. The note remained in the stems before he set it down on the desk. No one else entered the classroom but his group of friends. Too early for anyone to wander around. Unless, Sakamoto discarded it without staring at it before giving the flowers to everyone else in the class.

Kenken munched on his fries while texting his current girlfriend. His attention stayed on the screen as he dipped his fries in his ketchup. He didn't notice the smear of ketchup on his sleeve. Mario caught it as he handed him friend a napkin. He licked the napkin and rubbed the spot. Trying hard to get rid of it before he went home and his mother noticed.

Mario sent messages to a girl he met sometime ago. A friend but he wanted it to lead to more. It helped that the girl already showed interest in him and handed him the phone number. He didn't have to ask her.

An idea popped into Mario's head while he finished his food. "Why not give him a homemade lunch?" He suggested with a grin. "Give him another sorry note. We can have him meet us outside and say sorry to him in person. We can have it happen after school or something."

"I fucking suck at cooking." Atsushi said, he gulped down his soda. "I can barely make decent rice. Asking my mother is a no go. She will find it suspicious that I have a sudden interest in carrying my old lunch box to school. I complained about not wanting my lunch made back in middle school."

Mario sighed. "Too bad. Your mom knows how to make a good lunch. She always made extra."

Kenken relayed the same reaction. "You didn't think of your friends. What if we wanted to eat a delicious lunch? A good home cooked meal with no processed food. No wasting any money from our own pockets."

Atsushi rolled his eyes. "You scavengers would have left me with nothing to eat." He slurped his coke. "Should I try just giving him rice or something?"

"Uncooked rice?" Kenken tilted his head. "You're joking right?"

Atsushi scoffed. "Cooked! I'm not that stupid! Give me the benefit of the doubt." He lounged back on his seat. "I might as well try cooking the rice at home when mom's at the market. Better than nothing. I'll write a longer note to make up for it."

* * *

For the first time in months, Atsushi stayed in the classroom for lunch. His friends hurried to the cafeteria to grab some food from the lunch lady. The best stuff sold out the later they arrived to the lunchroom. They promised to bring him something on their way back. He nodded his head and focused his attention on Sakamoto returning from the bathroom. He walked past Sakamoto's desk and left the box while keeping an eye on his classmates.

None of them noticed him moving past Sakamoto's desk.

He hurried back to his seat and drummed his fingers on his desk. His patience declined from lack of food in his stomach. He checked through his bag and saw an old candy bar in the recesses of his bag. He unwrapped it and munched it down without checking the expiration date. His hunger obscured his common sense.

When Sakamoto returned, Kenken and Mario followed suit. They went straight to Atsushi and sat down in their seats. Their eyes stayed on Sakamoto's movements. They caught the surprise forming on his face before he sat down. Atsushi held his breath as Sakamoto opened the bento. From his seat, Sakamoto's face remained hidden from his view.

A pair of chopsticks laid on top of a full box of cooked rice. Sakamoto tilted his head down. Atsushi cursed himself for picking a seat where he saw none of the reactions. Sakamoto picked up the chopsticks and sectioned off the rice into four squares.

When Yagi turned to stare out the window, she noticed the lack of sides in Sakamoto's lunch box. In fact, she thought Sakamoto forgot to bring something extra for lunch. She sought the opportunity to get near him as she made her presence known. Grabbing her half eaten lunch, she got up from her seat and walked to his desk.

Yagi presented her lunch, haughty in having beat the other girls. "Did you need some sides to go with your lunch Sakamoto-kun? I have food left from my lunch. I don't mind."

Aina narrowed her eyes. She hurried to Sakamoto's side and batted her lashes. Making herself as cute as possible."I have delicious food as well. I cooked it myself. I insist."

The rest of the girls clamored over Sakamoto, leaving Atsushi staring in disbelief.

All the commotion caused the note to fall onto the floor.

* * *

"Sakamoto! Hey wait up!"

At the sound of his name, Sakamoto stopped in his tracks. Turning around, he pushed up his glasses with the back of his fingers. He held his bag in a loose but firm grip. A pose which accentuated his long legs and slim figure. His uniform remained impeccable. Recognizing the faces of his classmates, he faced them straight on. He inquired. "Is there something you need from me?"

Without another word, Atsushi, Mario and Kenken got on their knees. Their heads low and hands in front of their bodies. This earned them a high raised brow from Sakamoto. Slight confusion littered his face at the abrupt action his classmates presented to him. He thought back on the last week and remembered the flowers and rice left on his desk.

These three guys tried gaining his attention.

In unison, they exclaimed without flinching. "We're sorry for what we did to you!"

A deafening silence crept over them. The surrounding air thickened and time slowed down. All three of them shut their eyes. Waiting for an utterance from Sakamoto's lips or any indication that he believed their words. Their track record left them without any credibility.

Sakamoto said. "Apology accepted."

Atsushi lifted his head up from the cold hard ground. "You do?" Sakamoto nodded his head in confirmation. "Why? I mean we were such jerks to you. We tried every plan which popped into our heads to get under your skin. You should hate us. Fuck. I would hate anyone who did any of the shit we pulled." He babbled more sentences as he stared into Sakamoto's eyes.

Kenken and Mario averted their gaze away from Sakamoto. Shame washed over them. A feeling discarded years ago when they began their delinquent ways. Atsushi told the blatant truth of their mischief and deviancy. For all they knew, Sakamoto hid his overall glee at seeing their low bows and remorseful words.

"I don't." Sakamoto crouched down and stared at all of them. "I don't have a large capacity to hate anyone."

"Yeah right."

"You can choose to believe me or not." Sakamoto removed two papers from his blazer pocket. "Were these from you?" Atsushi's eyes widened. "I wondered where these came from. I found them under my desk on different days this week. I saw them during the class clean up. From your reaction, I gather these notes are from you."

Atsushi nodded his head. "Y-Yeah. Those are mine. How did you not know those were not from me? We left them with the flowers and the bento box." He cringed at admitting their former plans of apology fails.

Sakamoto showed the bottom of the notes. "You didn't sign your name on them."

" _Shit._ "

Kenken snorted. "You have to work on your penmanship Acchan. It fucking sucks." Mario surrendered to his snickering as he lifted himself off of the ground.

"You two are such assholes." Atsushi hissed.

Sakamoto helped them up to their feet and brushed the dirt from their uniforms. Awkward thanks ensued. Kenken and Mario watched Sakamoto pat away the dust from Atsushi's pants. They held back the teasing once they saw the redness on Atsushi's face.

Commentary happened after Sakamoto left their presence.

The end.


End file.
